Each week, there will be a required Discussion section worth a maximum of 10 points. Discussion will be held on Friday, and students are free to choose from either the 12:30–2:30 PM time period or an identical session from 3:00–5:00, US Central Time. It is not necessary to attend both of these sections, and extra points cannot be earned by attending both.
Discussions are held in a virtual classroom with chat functionality and a community white board, using browser-based software called Blackboard Collaborate. Information on accessing this site and testing your technical requirements is available within our LON-CAPA course site. Your instructor will be using a web cam and microphone, so he will be seen and heard, and students are welcome to do the same, but not required to do so. Minimally, the technical requirements are a reliable high-speed Internet connection, Java with appropriate permissions and security settings, web browser, and speakers.
Both Discussion sessions each week will be recorded, and the recordings will be made available automatically after the sessions end for students who wish to review the sessions, want to see what was discussed in the “other” session, or missed both sessions that day for some reason.